Ch. 1. The view from Baghdad : the Shi'a in the early third/ninth century -- chapter 2. The view from Baghdad : the Shi'a at the turn of the third/ninth century -- chapter 3. Pockets of believers : the view from the Shi'i city-state of Qum -- chapter 4. Al-Barqi and the beginnings of the Qummi/Ash'ari association with the traditions -- chapter 5. Al-Saffar's Basa'ir al-Darajat : theological discourse as encouragement -- chapter 6. Al-Kulayni's al-Kafi : the Qummi response to Baghdadi rationalism -- chapter 7. Al-Saffar and al-Kulayni on the imams and the imamate : Twelver theology between Qum and Baghdad -- chapter 8. Al-Kafi from theology to practice -- chapter 9. Summary and conclusions.